The Sperm Meets Egg Plan: Getting Pregnant Faster

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Hirsch IH. 2019. Overview of male sexual function. www.msdmanuals.com Opens a new window [Accessed May 2020]

Dode MAN, Caixeta FMC, Vargas LN, Leme LO, Kawamoto TS, Fidelis AAG, Franco MM. Dode MAN, et al. J Assist Reprod Genet. 2023 Apr;40(4):943-951. doi: 10.1007/s10815-023-02758-3. Epub 2023 Mar 3. J Assist Reprod Genet. 2023. PMID: 36864182 NHS. 2018. Trying to get pregnant. Health A to Z. www.nhs.uk Opens a new window [Accessed May 2020]From start to finish it takes about 10 to 11 weeks to create a new sperm cell. Both diet and lifestyle can make a difference to sperm quality. The average sperm lives only a few weeks in a man’s body and each ejaculation can set free up to 400 million sperm. This means that men have to make sperm continuously throughout their adult lives. The function of the male reproductive system is to produce sperm cells - male gametes - and release them inside a female.

The uterus is a muscular bag with a soft lining. The uterus is where a baby develops until birth. The cervix is a ring of muscle at the lower end of the uterus. It keeps the baby in place during pregnancy. In addition to all the fun, your bodies are building up tension that you hope will end in orgasm. Having an orgasm also has an important biological function. In men, an orgasm propels sperm-rich semen into the vagina and up towards the cervix at roughly 10 miles per hour. The force of ejaculation gives the sperm a good head start on their way to the egg. The male reproductive system has two testes (singular: testis). These are contained in a bag of skin called the scrotum. The testes have two functions: Cox E, Takov V. 2019. Embryology, ovarian follicle development. StatPearls. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov Opens a new window [Accessed May 2020]Knudtson J, McLaughlin JE. 2019. Female reproductive endocrinology. MSD Manual, Professional Version. www.msdmanuals.com Opens a new window [Accessed May 2020]

The placenta is an organ responsible for providing oxygen and nutrients, and removing waste substances. It grows into the wall of the uterus and is joined to the fetus by the umbilical cord. The mother's blood does not mix with the blood of the fetus, but the placenta lets substances pass between the two blood supplies: Its main function is to allow the exchange of materials such as oxygen and nutrients between the fetus and mother whilst removing waste substances such as carbon dioxide and urea. This relies on a process called diffusion as there is no mixing of maternal and fetal blood in the placenta. To make female sex hormones, which affect the way bodies develop and also regulates the menstrual cycle. Each cycle an egg travels from an ovary through the oviduct to the uterus or womb, where it settles. Other substances can also pass through the placenta, including recreational drugs and alcohol. Drugs can affect the fetus - slowing the growth of the fetus, reducing the amount of oxygen and causing bleeding - which can be life threatening.Women’s bodies mature a single egg fully each month. Men’s bodies, however, are almost constantly at work, producing millions of microscopic sperm – about 100 million every day. The sole purpose of each sperm is to swim towards and penetrate an egg. The function of the female orgasm is less clear. Theories include that it strengthens the bond between partners, or that uterine contractions help the sperm along their way somehow. We know that a woman doesn’t need to orgasm for conception to happen, though. Uterine contractions happen even without you having an orgasm.